In Chicago, the Vance and Calloway families sealed a merger with an arranged marriage. Vera, the eldest Calloway daughter, was meant to be the bride, yet she fled to Europe the night before the wedding, chasing three years of freedom. Her twin sister Wren, sent to her grandmother’s small-town bakery at six and forgotten for eighteen years, was dragged away by bodyguards to take Vera’s place. The deal was simple: pose as Vera for three years in exchange for five million dollars. As "Vera Vance", Wren memorized Julian Vance’s habits, tended to him quietly, while everyone mistook her devotion for humble love. Julian only had eyes for his childhood sweetheart Camille, who had returned from Paris. Drunk one night, he mistook Wren for Camille, whispering her name. Later, Camille forced Wren to sign away all inheritance rights, unaware Wren was pregnant. When the three years ended, Wren took the money, cut off all contact, and took her grandmother’s surname Hollis instead. Vera came back to claim her identity and Julian’s home. Five years later, at a bakery named Hollis in Savannah, a five-year-old boy with Julian’s eyes reached for croissants in the window.
